We each are guardians of our inner child. We are called to take care of, listen to and honour the one within our heart and soul who knows exactly what she needs to follow her joy. That inner child is the one who sings effortlessly from her heart and shares that joyful light with the world. As we follow that joy, we are inevitably in a state of respect to all living things, because we honour and respect ourselves, which is connected to all.

I often say that most disputes would be resolved if we could only remember kindergarten logic – if I break your toy, I fix it; if you break mine, you fix it. In a world of ego strutting, lawsuits and elbowing to get ahead, we can easily forget the simplicity of our interconnection and common sense ethical values that make the world a happier place.

Recently I interacted with a young man who had forgotten how to give voice to his radiant inner child. He was lent a new piece of expensive gear in perfect working order, only to return it broken. When presented with the repair bill, he refused to pay, saying it was not his fault. The man who had kindly lent the gear was saddled with an unexpected expense. No matter how acclaimed, influential, educated or socially prominent we may be, we have not yet graduated from kindergarten if we don’t possess basic kindness and respect.

As we age, we often forget the simplicity of our inner child’s expression, the things that make our soul sing. The shiny, bigwig complexities of life seduce our adult self and silence our inner voice. I could see this in this young man who refused to take responsibility for his actions. As I explore at length in my soon-to-be-published book “Confessions of a Former Yoga Junkie”, we all have a persona that feel is necessary to mask personal discomfort and inner pain. We trade in our open hearts to maintain a protective self-image that keeps us feeling powerful, yet deeply alone – until we realize it not only is safe but essential to honour our inner child.

Most of us spend a lot of our lives striving to upkeep the illusion of our ivory towers. We fool ourselves into thinking that they will make us feel happier than if we were to sing our soul’s delight while believing in Santa. Often our parents did the same. They did not know how to voice their inner child, so did not know how to nurture ours fully. At some point, we ended up developing an inner parent who busily chases passing clouds rather than cherishing the voice of our inner child.

Perhaps most legal cases, disagreements and wars around the world would never even begin if more people had graduated from kindergarten, honoured their inner child and remembered the simplicity of our interconnection. I cannot help but put this question to the Middle East, where egos flare, balance is lost and people are suffering – not just from the ravages of war, but from buying into illusions that we must fight for “mine” at the expense of the reality of “ours”.

We each are called to be parents to our inner child. As children of the Earth, we are stewards of the health of our planet, including caring for all living beings that live upon it. We are One Earth Family. Whether or not you have a physical child to call your own, each one of us has the opportunity to care for many children – our inner child, the child-like innocence of the natural world, and the people with whom we share this beautiful planet. Let us humbly remember this and simply love.

Parvati headshotParvati Devi is the editor-in-chief of Parvati Magazine and an internationally recognized Canadian musician, yogi and new thought leader. As a chart-topping touring musician, Parvati spearheads the Post New-Age musical genre with her independent success hit single “Yoga in the Nightclub” and accompanying show “YIN”. She founded YEM: Yoga as Energy Medicine, a powerful yoga method that combines energy work and yoga poses. Her critically acclaimed self-help debut book “Confessions of a Former Yoga Junkie – A Revolutionary Life Makeover for the Sincere Spiritual Seeker” is currently in its third edition.

For more information on Parvati, please visit www.parvati.tv.